[Bright Wall/Dark Room] Seven decades after Godzilla was created as a somber and urgent allegory for nuclear destruction, the King of the Monsters is maybe more popular than ever.

For a character rooted in so specific a moment, he has demonstrated incredible staying power. No matter how many times he is taken down by rival monsters, oxygen destroyers, or box office bombs, Godzilla always returns, animated not only by the eternal specter of nuclear armageddon but by whichever new anxiety is clawing its way into the world’s psyche. 

What’s behind the monster’s enduring appeal?